October 07, 2008

MTAA: "You'll Laugh, You'll Cry...You'll Hurl!"

When the cinematic masterpiece Wayne's World was released in
1992, their tag line was, "You'll Laugh, You'll Cry...You'll Hurl!" Who
among us couldn't say the same about the media blunders we've seen
recently, in connection with the U.S. presidential elections?
Brooklyn-based artistic duo MTAA dramatize this sort of overwhelming desire to emote in their newest project, Our Political Work,
which they describe as Beckett-like. The "Waiting For Godot" playwright
might well approve of their creation, which features 141 clips of the
artists screaming, laughing, and yelling as they wait in vain for
something to change. The clips are randomly strung together using
generative software, not unlike the clips in their One Year Performance Video,
thus locking them in a state of perpetual indignity. The longer one
watches, though, the more they are called upon to
consider the roles of the artists and the very nature of their
"political work." Are they political agents or spectators? Are their
blurts and indiscretions responses to the behavior of political actors,
or are they themselves enacting politics? Take a look for yourself, online [also here]. The piece is hosted by Lisboa 20 Arte Contemporânea, whose LX 2.0 Project commissioned the work. - Marisa Olson

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When the cinematic masterpiece Wayne's World was released in
1992, their tag line was, "You'll Laugh, You'll Cry...You'll Hurl!" Who
among us couldn't say the same about the media blunders we've seen
recently, in connection with the U.S. presidential elections?
Brooklyn-based artistic duo MTAA dramatize this sort of overwhelming desire to emote in their newest project, Our Political Work,
which they describe as Beckett-like. The "Waiting For Godot" playwright
might well approve of their creation, which features 141 clips of the
artists screaming, laughing, and yelling as they wait in vain for
something to change. The clips are randomly strung together using
generative software, not unlike the clips in their One Year Performance Video,
thus locking them in a state of perpetual indignity. The longer one
watches, though, the more they are called upon to
consider the roles of the artists and the very nature of their
"political work." Are they political agents or spectators? Are their
blurts and indiscretions responses to the behavior of political actors,
or are they themselves enacting politics? Take a look for yourself, online [also here]. The piece is hosted by Lisboa 20 Arte Contemporânea, whose LX 2.0 Project commissioned the work. - Marisa Olson